S.E.MICHIGAN BROMELIAD SOCIETY 
CARE OF BROMELIADS

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LIGHT:
Like other houseplants, bromeliads grow best when given the most light possible. Species differ in their light preferences, however, so pick your plant to match the location where it will live. Bromeliads with thin, green, often smooth-edged leaves (e.g. Vriesea, Tillandsia, Guzmania, Neoregelia, Nidularium) prefer medium light. Those having thick leaves with teeth along the edges and whitish markings (e.g. Achmea, Billbergia) prefer high light. Those with grass-like leaves, leaves heavily coated with silvery gray scales, and the succulent varieties (e.g. Tillandsia, Dyckia, Hechtia, pineapple) do best if given full sun for part or all of the day.

WATER:
The rosette of most bromeliads forms a "cup" that will hold rainwater in the bases of the leaves. Tap-water can be used to fill the cup but rainwater is best. Water should be slightly acid (ph 6 to 6.5) for best growth. The potting medium should be watered when it becomes dry. For added beauty, give them a good bath once a week under the faucet. Bromeliads mounted on bark, cork, or tree-fern slabs should be misted with water 2 or 3 times per week. (Note: the white "scaly" surface of the leaves is not to be wiped away - these scales are special cells hat act like sponges with absorb moisture from the air.)


FERTILIZER:
Bromeliads can be grown without fertilizing.  In fact, in order to maintain a compact form and rich color, some (Neoregelias, Billbergias) should not be fertilized.  However, others (Tillandsias, Aechmeas, Guzmanias, Vrieseas) benefit from regular fertilizing when they are in active growth.  There are special fertilizers for bromeliads, but an orchid fertilizer is a good substitute. The Schultz or Peters bloom booster fertilizers can be used but at only half the strength recommended on the label.  For plants which are watered by misting or submerging, fertilizer can be added to the water.

LIFE CYCLE:
When the plant is mature, it flowers once. The flowering period lasts from a few weeks to 6 months, depending on the species. As the plant matures, offshoots ("pups") develop, which will mature and flower in 1 to 2 years. Offshoots, when they are half the size of the parent, can be cut off the parent plant and planted in a porous medium such as a mixture of peat-moss and perlite. The offshoots quickly take root if they are firmly planted and the medium is kept evenly moist.




"For more detailed Bromeliad Care visit the S.E.Michigan Bromeliads Cultural Information Web Site."


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